Contents

Character Basis

Origin

Also known as Tsukuyomi-no-kami or Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, Tsukuyomi is the moon god in Shinto and Japanese mythology. Tsukuyomi is the second of "three noble children" born when Izanagi-no-Mikoto, the god who created the first land, Onogoro-shima, was cleansing himself of his sins escaping the underworld and the clutches of his enraged dead wife, Izanami-no-Mikoto. Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto was then born when he washed out of Izanagi-no-Mikoto's right eye, Amaterasu, the sun goddess, out of his left, and Susanoo, god of the sea and storms, out of his nose. In another story, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto was instead born from a mirror made of white copper in Izanagi-no-Mikoto's right hand.

Name

The name Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto is a combination of the Japanese words for "moon; month" (tsuki) and "to read; to count" (yomu). Another interpretation is that his name is a combination of "moonlit night" (Tsukiyo) and a verb meaning "to look at" (miru). Yet another interpretation is that the kanji for bow (弓,yumi) was corrupted with the kanji for "yomi". "Yomi" may also refer to the Japanese underworld, though this interpretation is unlikely.

Story

Thousands of years ago, Tsukuyomi realized that Earth was an impure, blood-stained world, which was stealing life from all living beings. So, this sage left Earth and took with him his most trusted relatives, including Eirin Yagokoro, his elder who he relied on the most, and founded the Lunar Capital. The Moon lacked the impurities of Earth and those who took up residence there forsook any lifespan, meaning they were neither alive or dead, but because they are not truly immortal, still stand a faint chance of death of injury.

A few decades ago (presumably around the time of the Apollo project), Lord Tsukuyomi was shocked that the scientific community on Earth has realized the world is built on probabilities. The threat that the beings of Earth and their impurities may reach the Lunar Capital now exists, and the denizens of the Moon have been on alert since then.

Relationships

Additional Information

Tsukuyomi is only referred to as a sage, not a god. It is unconfirmed if he is a god like he was in the actual Shinto myth. Assuming Amaterasu Oomikami (who clearly is a god in the Touhou Project) is Tsukuyomi's sister, this could imply Tsukuyomi is a god as well if they are related. Although it is possible that Amaterasu became a god while Tsukuyomi did not.

Amaterasu was however born a god in the original mythology thus making the first more likely. This is of course if one assumes that the Amaterasu mentioned here is the sun goddess Amaterasu Oomikami.

Amaterasu, who is Tsukuyomi's sister in Shinto mythology, isn't mentioned by name, but as "Lord Tsukuyomi's sister". She is implied to have sun related abilities in Cage in Lunatic Runagate Chapter 3, like Amaterasu does in mythology, as well as some relation with crows, who are the sun's familiars. It is unconfirmed if she is the same being as the sun goddess Amaterasu. The sun goddess Amaterasu actually is mentioned several times in various official works, and is even summoned in chapter 16 of Silent Sinner in Blue by Watatsuki no Yorihime, a Lunarian, as a god with sun based abilities, easily defeating Remilia Scarlet. Despite this, no reference to her being the same person as Tsukuyomi's sister mentioned in Cage in Lunatic Runagate was ever made.

For an example of Amaterasu's other mentions as a god, it is shown in Strange and Bright Nature Deity chapters 15 and 16 that Reimu performs an ritual on New Year's Eve every two years to suppress Lucifer (Amano-Kagaseo no Mikoto) (the Day Star, also known as the planet Venus) and welcome Amaterasu Ookami (the sun) into the new year. This ritual weakens the youkais' power for the next two years. She is also mentioned in Curiosities of Lotus Asia.

Oddly enough, in chapter 19 of Silent Sinner in Blue, one legend of Amaterasu's where she shut herself away in a cave is revealed to be the incident where Lunarians first started using shimenawa ropes to influence Earth's history. Despite Amaterasu specifically being named, there was still no reference of an actual connection of her to the Lunar Capital. In that same conversation, it is also implied that the "heavenly gods" who took away Lord Daikoku's lands (which in Shinto myth was done as part of a grander plan to unify Japan) were the Lunarians. In Shinto Myth, Amaterasu was one of the grand architects of this scheme, but in Silent Sinner in Blue, her name is not mentioned in that part of the conversation. Thus, although Amaterasu and Lord Tsukuyomi's sister are both sun-based, and the Lunarians apparently were responsible for several things that Amaterasu was responsible for in Shinto myth, there is no direct confirmation that they are one and the same. However, it could be a reasonable assumption.

Also in Shinto mythology, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi originally "shared the sky", but had a falling out of sorts when Tsukuyomi killed the goddess of food, due to her offering him food that she had spit out. This caused Amaterasu to leave Tsukuyomi to live in the Sun. Given that Yorihime initially mistakes a crow from the outside as one of Lord Tsukuyomi's sister's familiars due to being a familiar of the sun, it could be implied that Lord Tsukuyomi's sister also has her current residence outside of the moon (and possibly in the sun).